28 Miles!

Good morning!  

It has been a slow week in blog-land for me, well in run-land too but we'll get to that later.  Nike has me as a rockstar this week though!  28 miles, ya sure I'll take that even though it has actually been 10!   

After Saturday's half I've been really sore so I've done a 2 runs and am just taking it easy this week.  The girls had their last day of preschool on Tuesday so I took that as a great excuse to get some froyo, like we need a reason.

I just love being their mom and spending my days with them, it just doesn't get better than two 4 year old little girls.

At school Katherine's teacher gives each student an award that celebrates something about them as a individual, this woman is incredible.  Katherine received the "Precious Picasso Award" because the girl loves all things art.  I am going to be creating an art station in our extra room for her to use this summer instead of her usual covering my entire island in the kitchen. 

Yesterday was our car maintenance day, yuck.  I hate car maintenance, I am always certain they are going to find something drastically wrong with the vehicle.  Luckily that wasn't the case and they put on Sesame Street for my girls, A to the Men.  

It has been a good week just hanging out with the girls and getting caught up on life stuff.  I am really looking forward to this summer.  It is going to be crazy busy but filled with so many amazing things.  We have a family reunion on Jesse's side in Montana, my not so little brother is heading off for the Navy and I have 3 half marathons on the calendar all before school starts back up again.  Add in dance, the girls summer day camps and my first blogging conference and this summer is going to fly by!  

Just a heads up that Google Reader is getting close to shutting down.  I really like Bloglovin' and you can find me on there.  So if you follow me on Google Reader be ready for it to be closing down next month.  You'll like Bloglovin' I promise!  

What blog reader do you use? 

Do you keep up on all of your car maintenance?  

- I swear I drive so much that every time I turn around I am at the mileage to something. 

Rock and Roll Preview Run

Hi! 

I really need to get better about taking pictures when I go places but I left my phone in the car, I know excuses excuses.  Saturday Katie and I met at the Marriott with other runners to do a short preview run of the upcoming Portland Rock and Roll Half Marathon.  It was suppose to be a 7.25 mile run but ended up being just around 6.  We left the Marriott and headed towards the Hawthorne Bridge and made our way towards Hawthorne Blvd.  The run took us down Hawthorne about 3 miles where we turned around and made our way back to the Marriott.  You'll have to take my word on it but they had coffee, Gatorade and ice water for all the runners when we returned.  Plus they had some snacks and also a free cotton Rock and Roll t-shirt for everyone.

The route was okay, Hawthorne on a Saturday morning isn't really the best place for a large group of runners.  Plus there was also the March for Dimes going on at the same time so our run back over the bridge was pretty dodgy.  They had some pacers but none for the 11:30-12:00 minute runners and I noticed they were left behind pretty quick which :/ Hopefully they found their way back to the Marriott alright because it can get a little confusing in downtown Portland.  After the group run Katie and I headed out to do the Waterfront loop and log a few more miles before we headed home.  We ended the day with 9 miles together, I love my Katie runs.  

When I got home my house was empty and so quiet!  Jess took the girls out for a bike ride around the neighborhood and I headed out to meet up with them.  Uncle Jerady got the girls new bikes for their birthday and they are really starting to get the hang of it.  

Yes those are ears on their helmets, cuteness overload!  

Yesterday morning was such a beautiful morning I couldn't resist so I headed out for a run.  I ended up doing 9.5 miles and felt great the entire run.  I normally don't do gels or bloks during anything shorter than 10-12 miles but I am trying something new with my runs.  I had a blok at mile 4 and another at mile 6 and I honestly think they helped me with keep my pace the final mile.  I always thought that with gels and bloks less is more but I am learning that I might need to up my nutrition during my runs.  Personally I love this new found concept because I love Cliff Shot Bloks so it won't be hard for me to do.  I ended up with a 10:15 pace and actually re-checked my mileage on Map My Run because my shuffle has been wonky lately.   

 Today is a run rest day and I will fully savor it once I am done with Chalean.  

Did you have any training runs or a race this weekend?  

What is your favorite nutrition to use during a run?

Is the weather getting nice where you are?  

-Oregon has had the best weather since we've been home, love it! 

Injury Prevention Tid-Bits

Good morning!  

Today is a run rest day so it'll just be me and my personal trainer Chalean once I finish my cup of coffee.  Can I be honest?  I really want to go out for a run right now but I know how important it is to respect the run rest day...boo!  My legs are super sore which I am excited about, they haven't been sore in a while.  Tomorrow is my long run day with Katie and of course I am excited about that so I'll give in to the run rest day today, for Katie.  

This last week has been a good week in terms of getting up in the morning and feeling good about my runs and cross training.  This morning will be day 3 for cross training, score!  So I am really trying to focus on those positives because it has really been a good week on paper.  Of course I have to harp on myself so here it goes.  I shouldn't care and it shouldn't matter but to me it does, I am sick of where I am at with my pace and it is time to do something about it.  Being on the slower side is nothing to be ashamed of and is not what is frustrating me, what is frustrating is I have been putting in the work to increase and it just is not happening.  I know speed work and hill training are going to be my friend in regards to increasing speed so I will work on my relationship with them but I am also going to increase my weekly mileage.  I have wanted to start doing a longer run during the week and I have read and heard from fellow runners that increasing your mileage can also increase your pace.  Well sign me up!  I will have to be careful about increasing my weekly mileage because if I push it up too quickly then it'll be hello injury goodbye running!  

According to Runner's World runners should follow the 10% rule when increasing their weekly mileage.  On average I run anywhere from 20-25 miles a week.  Next week I'll start my 10% increase, if I use the 25 miles I'll run this week next week I can run 27.5, the following week I'll run 30 miles and so on.  10% is not a big number and only adds 2.5 miles to my week but it is getting me where I want to be and keeping me healthy.  I have some lofty goals for this fall which may include becoming a marathon maniac and staying injury free.  Since we are on the topic of injuries did you know that continuously taking your shoes off without untying the laces can cause damage to your feet?  I guess after a while it can hurt your ankle ligaments and tendons, I never knew! 

Be like me and untie your shoes!

I took this picture last night on our walk.  It has no relation to my post I just thought it was a cute picture and I would share it!  Lucy is currently in training for her Doggie Dash coming up in a few weeks.  She is really pumped up to bust our her 1.5 miles!  Our buddy Maverick being the all star he is will be doing the longer 2.5 miles.  

 2012 Doggie Dash 

OK Chalean won't wait any longer, she is such a hard ass, but I love her!  Have a great weekend!  

If you haven't already check out Uberthons Run for Boston!

What has been your favorite running event? 

Do you have any tidbits you want to share with the class about running injuries and prevention? 

It is FRIDAY!  What are you doing this weekend?

  

Sunday Housekeeping & Favorites

Hi! 

I ran my first race of 2013 this morning and it was great!  I'll share more of the details tomorrow, but it was definitely a good start to the season.

I realized the other day I should give the heads up that Google is going to be shutting down Google Reader in July.  For me personally I don't use Google Reader to keep up on my blogs so I don't need to transfer anything.  I am sure a lot of people do use it and if you do my personal recommendation is to switch to Bloglovin.  I talked about it just a couple weeks ago here, but I'll share my love for it again.



An Ode to Bloglovin'

- It is simple all around and I am a simple minded girl    
- Adding and searching for blogs is super easy
- There is a free app for your iPhone and Android based phone, sweet!  
- Both the app and the website lay out the blogs so that you never miss a new post from your favorite blogs

That is my 2 cents on a great blog reader that is simple, easy and keeps track of all of your favorite blogs at the tip of your fingers.  I have a link to my blog on Bloglovin' on the right side bar of my page if you are so inclined to follow this runner!

Sarah made this necklace for me and it immediately jumped to the top of my favorites list.  They are at an age where they want to know about Mama and Daddy.  Recently the big discussion is what our favorite color is and obviously mine is pink.  I love pink, all shades I am not discriminatory.  The other day I pulled out their bead kit so they could make some necklaces and Sarah made this one special for me.  I was doing some chore when she brought it to me and my heart skipped a beat.  In her sweet little voice she said "Look Mama, I made this necklace for you because your favorite color is pink!"  The idea of Sarah sitting quietly and thinking to herself "hey mama likes pink, I'll make her a pink necklace" pulled at my heart strings.  Usually once all of the strings and beads have been used we'll take the necklaces apart and start over.  I hid this one, I'll keep it with me forever, it is such a true representation of my sweet children.  I'll pull it out when she is 15 and hates my guts, it'll remind me of her innocence at 4 years old.  I question myself as a mom a lot, I think most mothers do, but for a moment Sarah made me feel pretty good.  I really do have some amazing little girls, I am a lucky mom.

Back to running news!  Road Runner Sports in Tualatin Oregon is having a Girls Night Out Wednesday March 20th @ 6PM.  I went to their last GNO and it was so much fun!  They have yummy snacks, wine, great vendors and lots of prizes.  If I was home I would be there in heartbeat, but alas I'll have to wait till next time.  Grab your best running girlfriends and go, if not for you do it for me!  

Are you going to humor me and go to the Girls Night Out? 

Do you have a blog reader that you really like?  If so, share what it is!  

Did you do a St. Patrick's Day themed race today?!  

-There was so much green in my race this morning, I loved the tutus the most!

        

20 Miles +1

Good morning!  This weekend was my final 20 mile training run and I have to say it was worlds better than my first.  I am huge supporter of doing a minimum of two of each distance before pushing to the next milestone.  I didn't start feeling like death till mile 19, that is an improvement from feeling like that at mile 16.5!  Part of our route was up Mt. Tabor and we took a picture in front of "The Dude".  Its amazing how much hills don't bother me as much as they use to, jeez I guess training has some perks!  

Once we got the 20 miles under our belt it was time for us to head home.  Later that day there was a benefit concert and fun run in Sherwood that I was really excited to get the girls to do.  Since it was only 1 mile I figured it would be a great little starter to see if its something they would be interested in.  When the bell went off Sarah was off and running!  She was so excited to be out running and ran the entire distance!  She would high five the Sherwood Cheerleaders as she passed and stayed ahead of me the majority of the time.  Sometimes she would fall back and hold my hand but most of the time she wanted to be on her own.  I was so proud of her for sticking with it and not complaining once during the entire run.  I think we have another runner in the family!  Katherine wasn't as excited about the running part, Jess carried her on his shoulder for about 3/4 of the mile, but she had fun too, just in a different way.  

What was so great about this particular event was that 100% of the proceeds went to a local Sherwood family who really need it at this time.  I have always loved living in Sherwood, we've been here for almost 7 years and I have met some pretty great people.  Its a special type of community to say the least and seeing everyone come together on Saturday afternoon to support this family was pretty moving.  Proud of my family and proud of my community, Go Bowmen!  

On Sunday OMSI was having a Mini Maker's Fair and Jess was dying to go and see what it is was all about.  I wasn't so sure sometimes that stuff can be pretty far out there but this turned out to be pretty interesting.  The first thing that caught my eye was these gorgeous sculptures this guy made out of old musical instruments.  I mean they were so intricate and detailed I couldn't take my eyes off of them.  

There were a lot of little stations and booths for the kids to get hands on with projects and lots of different exhibits with robots and legos, etc.  

It was a full weekend and I am tired today but I have a lot to get done so no rest for the wicked over here!  Its the start of the new phase of Chalean and I still have other things like laundry, child rearing and bill paying so I guess I should get to it.  Being up all night with Katherine last night isn't helping my motivation, but maybe one more cup of coffee will do the trick.  Have a great Monday!

What is something fun you did this weekend? 

If you have kids, do they ever do any of the fun runs at the races you sign up for?  

-I'll definitely get Sarah signed up for some more she loved it!  Katherine might learn to love it...

Just Orientation...

This morning the girls have an orientation at their preschool.  Preschool.  I am already crying and I am still in my pajamas and I signed them up for it!  I shouldn't be allowed to cry, nobody forced me to sign them up.  I do know how much fun they are going to have, how much they are going to love their teachers and the great friends they are going to make, no matter how much it is going to hurt my heart.  Luckily today is just a mommy and me meet and greet type of thing.  One hour, I don't leave and we color together.  Afterwards we'll get ice cream mainly to make mommy feel better.  Next Tuesday is when I'll take them and I'll leave and they'll be there for a full 2 hours and 45 minutes twice a week.  I guess when I write it out like that it isn't as big of a deal.  

It is a mix of emotions honestly.  Being home with the girls has been at times the hardest thing I've ever done, especially when they were babies and Jess was working 12+ hour days.  I call those times the dark ages...lovingly.  Since getting the girls to 2 and now inching closer to 4 everyday the days seem full of noise, laughing, running and chaos.  I know one day it'll be done, just like they came into this world at the same time they'll leave me at the same time.  I just want them with me as long as possible, they are my babies and I promised since conception I would protect them from everything I could.  

Hard to believe the little babies who we still refer to as Baby A and Baby B are going into preschool.  It is the start of a new chapter and every new chapter kinda freaks me out, but they always turn out to be great.  This whole year has been the start of a new chapter for me.  Now it is time for the girls to start a new chapter, school.  Wish us luck!  Actually...wish the teachers luck, they'll need it.